Manufacture of shoes



{No Model.)

W. A. REED.

MANUFACTURE OF SHOES.

Patented Aug 19, 1884.

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I UNITED STATES PATENT @rrren.

\VILLIAM A. REED, OF \VESTBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS.

MANUFACTURE OF SHOES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 303,883, dated August19, 1884.

Application filed February 519, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM A. REED, of \Vestborough, in the county ofWorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in the Manufacto re of Shoes; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention is an improvement upon the method and article which are thesubject of an application filed in the United States Patcnt Uliice onthe 22d (lay of December, 1883, by George IV. Sleeper, and numbered115,353. As described in that application, a blank of suitable shape issplit from the rear or heel toward the toe to the point where theopening of the shoe terminates. The upper half of the portion so split,cut into proper shape,

-forms the right side of the shoe, and the lower part, cutin the sameway, forms theleft side.

My invention consists in splitting this blank with a slightly-inclinedcut, so that thelower edge of the leather on both sides shall be thickerthan the upper.

The accompanying drawings show in general form the same blank and modeof splitting said upper as those in the aforesaid application.

In these-drawings, Figure 1 represents the bank in plan iew. Fig. 2represents the form of the piece or blank after the splitting andcutting has been performed. Fig. 3 is an edge view of the rear of theblank, showing the line of the split. Fig. 4 is a modification.

The purpose being to give thicker leather in the upper atthe lower edge,whereit isjoined to the sole, I split the leather with the knifeslightly inclined to the surfaces of the leather, as shown in Fig. 3. Inthis figure the line :0 it indicates the cut. On the righthand side thisline, where it reaches the edge, is alittle above the central line, sothat the right-hand edge of the upper section is thick er, and the sameedge of the lower section is thinner. On the left-hand side the edge ofthe lower is the thicker and that edge of the upperis thinner. As theknife makes a straight out, the diminution in thickness is v cation, isturned up to the right and the under to the left. Thus both the thickeredges 0. (a are joined to the sole, and form that part of the shoerequiring the thickest leather. It is immaterial, of course, which ofthe two sec tions forms the right or left; that depends upon theformation of the sides. Either may be cut for right or left side, butthe inclination of the split must be changed accordingly.

It will be understood that I claim no part of the method or articleexcepting this inclined cutting or the thickened edges formed thereby.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a modified form of cut, in which I set the knifeto begin the cut an inch (more or less) from the edge of the blank, asshown, thus getting the entire thickness of the vamp around the lowerparts of the quarters, this being desirable in some class of shoes.

I claim 1. The described methodof forming the up per of a shoe,consisting in first cutting a blank in the form shown, then splittingthe blank from the heel by an inclined cut to the proper point, and thenforming the sides and counter out of the upper and lower sections, withthe thicker edgesat the bottom, all substantiall y as described.

2. A shoe-upper formed of one piece, split in the rear portion, andhaving the edges of unequal thickness, said split portions constitutingthe sides and counters, with the thickeredges at the bottom, allsubstantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

IVILLIAM A. REED.

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Hnnnnnson Ross, 37. TROWBRIDGE FORBES.

